https://www.scmp.com/rss/325308/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reuters Reuters An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck in Indonesia’s Northern Maluku Sea on Thursday, killing one person, damaging buildings and triggering tsunami waves, authorities and witnesses said, though monitoring agencies said the likelihood of further casualties was low. Indonesia’s meteorology agency BMKG said tsunami waves were reported in five locations, the highest at 0.75 metre (2.46 feet) in North ‌Minahasa in North Sulawesi and about 50 aftershocks were monitored, the largest at a magnitude of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348725/tsunami-warning-indonesia-philippines-malaysia-after-maluku-sea-quake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348725/tsunami-warning-indonesia-philippines-malaysia-after-maluku-sea-quake?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:45:58 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall In earthquake-prone Japan, 20 seconds could make a difference in minimising loss of life among train passengers who experience traumatic shaking during a major seismic event. The operator of the Shinkansen line between Osaka and Fukuoka in southern Japan is upgrading its earthquake early warning system to give trains operating at speeds of up to 300km/h (186mph) an additional 20 seconds to slow down and avert catastrophe in an area that experts warn could be hit by a megaquake at any moment. In... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3347585/japans-railways-get-earthquake-early-warning-upgrade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3347585/japans-railways-get-earthquake-early-warning-upgrade?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:10 +0000 SCMP SCMP This article was first published on March 11, 2011. By Greg Torode, Martin Wong and Agencies A farm building engulfed in flames as it disintegrated in giant waves; a minibus tumbling end over end, pushed ahead of a 10-metre wall of water - the tsunami triggered yesterday afternoon by the largest earthquake in Japanese history produced scenes of horror along the country’s northeast coast. At least 1,000 people were killed as the wall of water swept away everything in its path. The death toll is... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3346041/japan-hit-worst-earthquake-and-tsunami-its-history-2011-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3346041/japan-hit-worst-earthquake-and-tsunami-its-history-2011-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 02:30:08 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Japan on Wednesday marked 15 years since a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck the country’s northeastern areas, triggering the world’s worst nuclear disaster since the 1986 Chernobyl crisis. The triple disasters of the magnitude-9.0 earthquake, resulting tsunami and meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex led to the loss of more than 22,000 lives. The plant’s operator is still struggling to dismantle the damaged facilities by 2051. The central government stopped hosting memorial... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3346154/15-years-after-fukushima-disaster-japan-struggles-rising-maintenance-costs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3346154/15-years-after-fukushima-disaster-japan-struggles-rising-maintenance-costs?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 01:27:05 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo None of Japan’s prefectural governors are willing to accept soil collected in decontamination work near the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex without further safety information and support from the central government, according to a Kyodo News survey. A search for final disposal sites for 14 million cubic metres (500 million cubic feet) of removed soil and other waste in Fukushima after the March 2011 nuclear disaster is a key part of the government’s reconstruction efforts in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3345100/where-will-fukushimas-nuclear-waste-go-japanese-governors-reject-tainted-soil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3345100/where-will-fukushimas-nuclear-waste-go-japanese-governors-reject-tainted-soil?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 06:27:57 +0000 The Star The Star The 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Sabah early Monday morning is the strongest to hit Malaysia in over a decade. Malaysian Meteorological Depart­ment Director General Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said that based on the department’s records, the previous strongest earthquake in the country occurred on June 5, 2015, in Ranau, Sabah. The 6.0-magnitude temblor in Ranau claimed 18 lives and is still regarded as one of the most notable earthquakes in the country’s history. According to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344426/sabah-quake-strongest-hit-malaysia-11-years-tremors-felt-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344426/sabah-quake-strongest-hit-malaysia-11-years-tremors-felt-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 06:35:27 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The restart of the world’s largest nuclear power plant was suspended in Japan on Thursday just hours after the process began, its operator said, but the reactor remains “stable”. Operations to relaunch a reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata province, closed since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, began late on Wednesday after it received the final green light from the nuclear regulator despite divided public opinion. But its operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), said that... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3340861/japan-suspends-restart-worlds-largest-nuclear-plant-hours-after-it-began?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3340861/japan-suspends-restart-worlds-largest-nuclear-plant-hours-after-it-began?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:19:07 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) on Wednesday restarted its first nuclear reactor since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, with the utility’s safety measures set to be closely watched as it seeks to turn around its business amid ongoing clean-up efforts from the accident. Tepco brought back online the No 6 reactor at the seven-unit Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex in Niigata Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo – the world’s largest nuclear power plant by output when fully operational – making it the 15th... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3340734/japan-restarts-first-nuclear-reactor-fukushima-under-close-scrutiny?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3340734/japan-restarts-first-nuclear-reactor-fukushima-under-close-scrutiny?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:18:26 +0000 Reuters Reuters Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) will delay the restart of its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday, public broadcaster NHK reported on Monday, after an alarm malfunction. It would have been the first reactor restart for Tepco since its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was hit by a powerful tsunami in 2011. The company had planned to restart Unit No 6 at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa on Tuesday and Unit No 7 around 2030, as Japan seeks greater energy... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3340366/japans-tepco-delays-kashiwazaki-kariwa-nuclear-restart-after-alarm-glitch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3340366/japans-tepco-delays-kashiwazaki-kariwa-nuclear-restart-after-alarm-glitch?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 04:04:19 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall A century after thousands of foreigners were massacred in Japan following a devastating earthquake, human rights advocates worry about rising vigilantism should disaster strike again. It follows calls from the mayor of at least one Japanese city for citizens to form “vigilante groups” in response to reports of rising crime by foreign nationals. “This is symptomatic of Japan’s changing demographics and the rise of xenophobia,” Teppei Kasai of Human Rights Watch in Tokyo told This Week in Asia,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3339574/easier-targets-japan-safe-foreigners-if-disaster-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3339574/easier-targets-japan-safe-foreigners-if-disaster-strikes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo The operator of a nuclear power plant in central Japan said on Monday its employees may have used cherry-picked data for a potential earthquake in quake-resistance tests at the plant to pass the regulatory screening for restart. The Nuclear Regulation Authority said the same day it found “wrongdoing” by Chubu Electric Power in the screening process and halted the review. The incident is a major setback for the Japanese government. Concerns over the safety of nuclear power plants grew strong in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3338838/japan-utility-caught-faking-nuclear-safety-data-plant-megaquake-zone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3338838/japan-utility-caught-faking-nuclear-safety-data-plant-megaquake-zone?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jan 2026 01:10:19 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A strong earthquake rattled southern and central Mexico on Friday, interrupting President Claudia Sheinbaum’s first press briefing of the new year as seismic alarms sounded. At least two people died. The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.5 and its epicentre was near the town of San Marcos in the southern state of Guerrero near the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco, according to Mexico’s national seismological agency. There were more than 500 aftershocks. The state’s civil defence agency reported... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3338583/1-dead-12-injured-65-magnitude-quake-shakes-mexico-city-and-beach-resort?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3338583/1-dead-12-injured-65-magnitude-quake-shakes-mexico-city-and-beach-resort?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 20:05:25 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse In a library in the Philippines, dice rattle on the surface of a board before coming to a stop, putting one of its players straight into the path of a powerful typhoon. The teenagers huddled around the table leap into action, shouting instructions and acting out the correct strategies for just one of the potential catastrophes laid out in the board game called Master of Disaster. With fewer than half of Filipinos estimated to have undertaken disaster drills or to own a first aid kit, the game... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338039/typhoon-hit-philippines-learns-disaster-preparations-board-game?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3338039/typhoon-hit-philippines-learns-disaster-preparations-board-game?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 09:46:48 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung More than 650 Hongkongers on group tours to Taiwan have been confirmed safe following a 6.7-magnitude earthquake late on Saturday, with some shaken travellers recalling how buildings swayed “from side to side”. The Hong Kong Observatory said the earthquake struck at 11.05pm in Taiwan, with the epicentre located about 70km (43.5 miles) southeast of Taipei and at a focal depth of 60km. The forecaster also received more than 100 local reports of tremors lasting several seconds on Saturday. “Based... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3337939/650-hongkongers-taiwan-tour-groups-confirmed-safe-after-67-magnitude-quake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3337939/650-hongkongers-taiwan-tour-groups-confirmed-safe-after-67-magnitude-quake?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Dec 2025 09:21:26 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Campaigners against nuclear energy have condemned Japan’s decision to resume operations at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant, claiming that the facility will be unable to withstand a major earthquake as it was “built on tofu”. Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), the operator of the Niigata prefecture plant, on Wednesday applied for a final examination of the facility to the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA). Approval is likely to be a formality as the prefectural assembly already gave the nod on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3337805/safety-fears-japan-prepares-restart-nuclear-plant-built-tofu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3337805/safety-fears-japan-prepares-restart-nuclear-plant-built-tofu?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 01:30:11 +0000 Reuters Reuters Japan took the final step to allow the restart of the world’s largest nuclear power plant on Monday as the region of Niigata voted to resume ‍operations, a watershed moment in the country’s return to nuclear energy nearly 15 years after the Fukushima disaster. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, located about 220km (136 miles) northwest of Tokyo, was among 54 reactors shut after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukushima Daiichi plant in the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Since then, Japan... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3337283/japan-backs-worlds-largest-nuclear-plant-restart-despite-pushback-residents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3337283/japan-backs-worlds-largest-nuclear-plant-restart-despite-pushback-residents?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2025 05:57:04 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall A cluster of tremors off Japan’s northeastern coast has raised alarms among seismologists, as a new government study warns that up to 199,000 people could be killed if a magnitude 9 earthquake strikes. The most recent quake, a magnitude 4 offshore tremor recorded on Monday morning off eastern Hokkaido, was small and caused no reported damage. Yet authorities are urging residents to remain vigilant and review their evacuation plans after a succession of smaller offshore quakes in recent days off... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3336422/japan-risks-199000-deaths-overdue-megaquake-amid-fresh-tremor-swarm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3336422/japan-risks-199000-deaths-overdue-megaquake-amid-fresh-tremor-swarm?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 02:29:26 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo The magnitude 7.5 earthquake that occurred off northeastern Japan recently highlights the need for Japan to provide safety tips and evacuation information to foreign nationals more effectively, particularly as the country witnesses an inbound tourism boom. Locals and foreign visitors alike were asked to evacuate as the weather agency issued tsunami warnings for part of the Pacific coast of Hokkaido, as well as Aomori and Iwate prefectures, on Monday. Among them, Jose San Juan, a tourist from the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3336303/japan-quake-shows-urgent-need-improve-tourist-safety-didnt-know-where-go?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3336303/japan-quake-shows-urgent-need-improve-tourist-safety-didnt-know-where-go?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Dec 2025 02:19:48 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A powerful earthquake struck off the coast of northern Japan on Friday, the weather office said, days after an even larger tremor shook the region and injured at least 50. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) upgraded Friday’s quake to a 6.7 magnitude and warned that tsunami waves of up to one metre (three feet) could hit the northern Pacific coastline. In the end, waves of up to 20cm (7 inches) were recorded on the main northern island of Hokkaido and in the Aomori region, the JMA said, before... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3336155/magnitude-67-earthquake-strikes-japan-triggering-tsunami-warning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3336155/magnitude-67-earthquake-strikes-japan-triggering-tsunami-warning?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 03:25:03 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Japan issued a megaquake advisory on Tuesday after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan’s main island of Honshu, and just south of the northern island of Hokkaido. Damage from this quake was modest – 34 mostly mild injuries and some damage to roads and buildings. Officials said the advisory was not a prediction and the probability of a magnitude 8 or larger quake is only about 1 per cent. But there’s hope the advisory will serve... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3335797/japan-issues-megaquake-advisory-after-magnitude-75-aomori-quake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3335797/japan-issues-megaquake-advisory-after-magnitude-75-aomori-quake?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 12:02:08 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar Indonesia is confronting its deadliest natural disaster in more than two decades as floods and landslides ravage Sumatra, overwhelming local authorities and prompting scrutiny of how President Prabowo Subianto’s administration is managing the crisis. Officials insist relief efforts have moved quickly, given how the scale of devastation demanded complex coordination, but critics and segments of the public argue the response has felt slow and at times tone-deaf, a perception analysts said could... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3335781/indonesia-faces-second-tsunami-after-sumatra-floods-jakartas-response-enough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3335781/indonesia-faces-second-tsunami-after-sumatra-floods-jakartas-response-enough?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 10:31:30 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A big quake off Japan injured at least 30 people, authorities said on Tuesday, damaging roads and knocking out power for thousands in freezing temperatures. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said the magnitude 7.5 quake at 11.15pm on Monday – downgraded from its first reading of 7.6 – raised the chances of similar or larger tremors in the coming days. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said 30 people were injured in the quake off the coast of the northern Aomori region, which triggered tsunami... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3335656/magnitude-72-earthquake-hits-japan-tsunami-alert-issued?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3335656/magnitude-72-earthquake-hits-japan-tsunami-alert-issued?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 14:45:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters At least seven people, including two children, were killed and around 100 injured when a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Bangladesh on Friday, the government said, with buildings damaged in many areas including the densely populated capital Dhaka. Tremors were felt in eastern states in neighbouring India that border Bangladesh, but there were no immediate reports of major damage there, authorities said. Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, said the injured included... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3333750/2-children-among-dead-bangladesh-rattled-magnitude-57-earthquake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3333750/2-children-among-dead-bangladesh-rattled-magnitude-57-earthquake?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 14:01:13 +0000 dpa dpa Several countries as well as the European Union have offered their condolences after a powerful earthquake struck northern Afghanistan, killing 20 people and injuring hundreds, according to official reports. The country’s national disaster management authority said 20 people have died and 643 were wounded, revising down earlier figures reported by the state-run news agency Bakhtar, which had put the death toll of the overnight quake at 27, with more than 700 injured. Pakistan, India, Iran,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3331402/international-condolences-pour-after-afghanistan-earthquake-kills-20?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3331402/international-condolences-pour-after-afghanistan-earthquake-kills-20?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 23:20:15 +0000 Agencies Agencies A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook northern Afghanistan before dawn on Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 300 others, a health official said. Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health, provided the updated death and injury toll. The US Geological Survey said the quake’s epicentre was located 22km (14 miles) west-southwest of the town of Khulm, and that it struck at 12.59am at a depth of 28km. The USGS issued an orange alert in its PAGER... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3331265/magnitude-63-earthquake-shakes-northern-afghanistan-casualties-feared?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3331265/magnitude-63-earthquake-shakes-northern-afghanistan-casualties-feared?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 01:29:47 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran A spate of powerful earthquakes across the Philippines has triggered widespread panic, sparked a flood of misinformation and prompted officials to take decisions that experts warn could undermine long-term disaster readiness. Analysts say the anxious public reaction – from mass hysteria in schools to viral conspiracy theories about “The Big One” – underscores a pressing need for better science communication and coordination between government agencies, especially in a country highly exposed to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3330110/big-one-coming-earthquake-mania-grips-philippines-fears-mount?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3330110/big-one-coming-earthquake-mania-grips-philippines-fears-mount?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 13:46:21 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu The remains of a six-year-old Japanese girl who went missing in the 2011 Tohoku earthquake were miraculously found and recently returned to her parents. When the devastating 9.0 earthquake and tsunami struck Japan’s northeast coast on March 11 that year, six-year-old Natsuse Yamane was at home with her grandmother. Their home was in Yamada town, Iwate prefecture on Honshu, Japan’s main island. Her mother, Chiyumi, recalled that her daughter was caught up in the tsunami on her way from home to... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3330029/remains-girl-6-lost-2011-japan-earthquake-found-100km-home-mum-grateful-return?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3330029/remains-girl-6-lost-2011-japan-earthquake-found-100km-home-mum-grateful-return?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 10:00:09 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan’s largest power company is reportedly dangling a 100 billion yen (US$654 million) payout for locals to restart its long-dormant Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in a move critics have called “bribery”. The unprecedented financial support package, originally reported by the Nikkei business newspaper, reflects Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (Tepco) mounting desperation to revive the world’s largest nuclear site more than a decade after the Fukushima disaster, according to analysts. A... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328934/nuclear-bribery-backlash-japan-over-restart-plan-worlds-largest-plant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328934/nuclear-bribery-backlash-japan-over-restart-plan-worlds-largest-plant?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Oct 2025 00:00:15 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma Hong Kong’s urban search and rescue team is gearing up to win UN accreditation early next year, the city’s retiring deputy fire chief has said. This would allow it to play a more significant role in international rescue efforts, according to Angus Wong Chun-yip, the Fire Services Department’s outgoing deputy director of operations. Accreditation would allow the team to work independently for seven days. Wong said that while the nature of the job had remained constant over his 31-year career,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3328724/un-accreditation-will-give-hong-kongs-rescue-team-greater-global-role?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3328724/un-accreditation-will-give-hong-kongs-rescue-team-greater-global-role?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 02:30:07 +0000 Jeoffrey Maitem Jeoffrey Maitem Vilma Lagnayo woke up on Saturday to a sobering reality – her family home of five years in the quiet coastal town of Manay in southern Philippines was gone. The 56-year-old recalled that minutes before an offshore magnitude 7.4 quake hit at 9.43am on Friday, she was outside her house attending to house chores when the ground began to tremble softly. Within seconds, the shaking turned violent – the walls of their house creaked and then collapsed, windows rattled, and the air filled with the sound... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3328647/southern-philippines-quake-hit-residents-lament-losses-it-really-hurts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3328647/southern-philippines-quake-hit-residents-lament-losses-it-really-hurts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Oct 2025 11:13:48 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Dazed survivors of a pair of major earthquakes in the southern Philippines awoke on Saturday to scenes of devastation, after hundreds of aftershocks rocked the region overnight. Many coastal residents of Mindanao island had slept outdoors, fearful of being crushed to death by aftershocks of the 7.4 and 6.7 magnitude quakes that struck off the coast within hours of each other on Friday. Philippine authorities said at least eight people were killed. Office of Civil Defence Information Officer... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3328629/survivors-twin-quakes-philippines-despair-nowhere-sleep-nothing-eat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3328629/survivors-twin-quakes-philippines-despair-nowhere-sleep-nothing-eat?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Oct 2025 05:15:54 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Two powerful offshore earthquakes struck the same region in the southern Philippines hours apart on Friday, with the first 7.4 magnitude temblor killing at least seven people, setting off landslides and prompting evacuations of coastal areas nearby because of a brief tsunami scare. The second one had a preliminary 6.8 magnitude and also sparked a local tsunami warning by authorities. It was caused by movement in the same fault line, the Philippine Trench, at a depth of 37 km (23 miles) off Manay... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3328463/strong-76-magnitude-quake-philippines-mindanao-triggers-tsunami-warning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3328463/strong-76-magnitude-quake-philippines-mindanao-triggers-tsunami-warning?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Oct 2025 02:58:15 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran As the Philippines grapples with the fallout of a deadly earthquake and two destructive typhoons in less than a fortnight, analysts have criticised officials for their poor disaster management, comparing the damage with the flaws exposed by the ongoing flood-control scandal. The latest disasters have highlighted shortcomings ranging from weak enforcement of building codes to chronic underfunding of related scientific programmes, according to the analysts. Those weaknesses were on full display... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3327842/are-latest-natural-disasters-philippines-further-proof-poor-planning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3327842/are-latest-natural-disasters-philippines-further-proof-poor-planning?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Oct 2025 13:27:48 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Indonesian rescuers were racing against the clock on Wednesday in search of dozens of missing students suspected of still being buried under the rubble of a collapsed school in the province of East Java. The death toll following the incident on Monday has risen to six, according to Yudhi Bramantyo, Deputy Chief of Operations National Search and Rescue Agency. Five survivors were successfully rescued after a tunnel was dug at the base of the building to their location. “Their conditions were... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3327461/indonesia-school-collapse-91-students-still-missing-under-rubble?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3327461/indonesia-school-collapse-91-students-still-missing-under-rubble?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 03:14:24 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press At least 69 people were killed in a powerful earthquake that hit a central Philippine province late on Tuesday night. The magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit at about 10pm trapped an unspecified number of residents in collapsed houses, nightclubs and other businesses in the hard-hit city of Bogo and outlying rural towns in Cebu province, officials said. Rescuers scrambled to find survivors on Wednesday. Army troops, police and civilian volunteers backed by backhoes and sniffer dogs were deployed... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3327453/powerful-69-magnitude-quake-philippines-kills-31-causes-mass-damage-cebu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3327453/powerful-69-magnitude-quake-philippines-kills-31-causes-mass-damage-cebu?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:54:09 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang A 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck China’s northwestern Gansu province on Saturday morning, injuring at least 11 people and prompting the urgent evacuation of nearly 8,000 residents as emergency crews responded to the disaster. Rescue teams said 17 houses had collapsed and close to 4,000 others had been damaged, according to state broadcaster CCTV. There are no reports of any fatalities. According to China’s Ministry of Emergency Management, central authorities have activated a level-four... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3327072/gansu-province-hit-56-magnitude-earthquake-injuring-least-6-people?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3327072/gansu-province-hit-56-magnitude-earthquake-injuring-least-6-people?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Sep 2025 04:08:13 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo The probability of a megaquake occurring in the Nankai Trough within the next 30 years has been revised from 80 per cent to a range of around 60 to 90 per cent, or higher, Japan’s earthquake investigation panel has said. The revision reflects a new calculation method that takes into account data errors and uncertainties in predictions, and does not mean that the risk of an earthquake has increased, according to the government panel. “The situation remains that an earthquake could occur at any... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3327062/japan-revises-nankai-megaquake-risk-60-90-next-30-years-urges-disaster-readiness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3327062/japan-revises-nankai-megaquake-risk-60-90-next-30-years-urges-disaster-readiness?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Sep 2025 00:33:36 +0000 Reuters Reuters Earthquakes that flattened villages in eastern Afghanistan this month destroyed homes and livestock, the only assets owned by most families, leaving survivors with almost nothing to rebuild as aid runs thin. At least 2,200 people were killed and more than half a million affected when a powerful earthquake struck the region on the night of August 31 followed by a series of strong aftershocks. The quakes have left tens of thousands of people homeless, with some fearing further landslides. Abdul... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3325231/intergenerational-crisis-looms-afghanistans-quake-survivors-aid-runs-thin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3325231/intergenerational-crisis-looms-afghanistans-quake-survivors-aid-runs-thin?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Sep 2025 12:46:01 +0000 Reuters Reuters The World Health Organization has asked Taliban authorities to lift restrictions on Afghan female aid workers, allowing them to travel without male guardians and help women struggling to access care after a powerful earthquake killed 2,200 people in eastern Afghanistan. “A very big issue now is the increasing paucity of female staff in these places,” Dr Mukta Sharma, the deputy representative of WHO’s Afghanistan office, told Reuters. She estimated around 90 per cent of medical staff in the area... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3324713/who-urges-taliban-lift-restrictions-women-aid-workers-after-afghanistan-earthquakes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3324713/who-urges-taliban-lift-restrictions-women-aid-workers-after-afghanistan-earthquakes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 05:56:45 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall More than a quarter of Japanese citizens were exposed to rumours or falsehoods on social media following natural disasters, according to a new survey, with some admitting they inadvertently hampered emergency responses by sharing the misinformation. The study was conducted by the Japanese Red Cross Society in the run-up to Disaster Prevention Day on Monday. The annual event commemorates the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, a magnitude-8 tremor that struck some 60km southwest of Tokyo and caused... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3324556/japan-survey-exposes-dark-side-social-media-disaster-misinformation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3324556/japan-survey-exposes-dark-side-social-media-disaster-misinformation?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Sep 2025 01:00:15 +0000 Reuters Reuters Rescuers on Thursday pulled bodies from the rubble of homes razed in Afghanistan’s earthquakes as the confirmed death toll topped 2,200, while homeless survivors faced a bleak future with global aid agencies warning of dwindling resources. Search operations continued in the quake-hit mountainous eastern areas, the Taliban administration said, announcing a new death toll of 2,205 with at least 3,640 people injured. “Everything we had has been destroyed,” said Aalem Jan, whose house in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3324380/afghan-earthquake-deaths-top-2200-survivors-face-aid-crunch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3324380/afghan-earthquake-deaths-top-2200-survivors-face-aid-crunch?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 12:25:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters Afghanistan airdropped commandos on Wednesday to pull survivors from the rubble of homes in mountainous eastern areas ravaged by earthquakes this week that have killed 1,400, as it ramped up efforts to deliver food, shelter and medical supplies. The first earthquake of magnitude 6, one of Afghanistan’s deadliest in recent years, unleashed widespread damage and destruction when it struck the provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar around midnight on Sunday at a shallow depth of 10km (6 miles). A second... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3324162/afghan-commandos-airdrop-quake-zones-where-helicopters-cant-land?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3324162/afghan-commandos-airdrop-quake-zones-where-helicopters-cant-land?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Sep 2025 07:01:45 +0000 Reuters Reuters An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 shook southeastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, sparking fears of further damage and destruction, almost two days after a large quake in the same region killed more than 1,400 people and injured thousands more. Tuesday’s quake occurred at a relatively shallow depth of 10km (6 miles), the same level as the one that struck at midnight on Sunday with a magnitude of 6. That was one of Afghanistan’s worst quakes in years, flattening houses in remote villages. The aftershock... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3324104/another-quake-hits-afghanistan-hindering-rescue-efforts-death-toll-exceeds-1400?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3324104/another-quake-hits-afghanistan-hindering-rescue-efforts-death-toll-exceeds-1400?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 16:00:51 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan A rare series of earthquakes in Malaysia’s southern state of Johor has prompted calls by engineering experts for an overhaul of national building standards, as they warn the country can no longer consider itself safe from seismic risk. Seven tremors were recorded between August 24 and 31, including a magnitude 4.1 quake centred around the quiet inland town of Segamat in Johor’s northern region, according to data from the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia). Further tremors, albeit... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3324042/johor-earthquakes-force-malaysia-confront-no-risk-building-code-myth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3324042/johor-earthquakes-force-malaysia-confront-no-risk-building-code-myth?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 09:06:59 +0000 Agencies Agencies Rescue teams scoured Afghanistan’s mountainous east for survivors on Tuesday, as the death toll from a strong earthquake rose to 1,411, a Taliban government spokesman said. More than 3,000 people are injured, Zabihullah Mujahid said on social media. Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities had earlier said the death toll was about 900. The 6.0 magnitude quake struck late on Sunday night in several provinces, flattening villages and leaving people trapped under rubble for hours. It damaged or destroyed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3324044/afghanistan-earthquake-death-toll-passes-1100-rescuers-search-survivors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3324044/afghanistan-earthquake-death-toll-passes-1100-rescuers-search-survivors?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 08:22:47 +0000 Reuters Reuters Afghanistan’s Taliban administration made an appeal for help on Monday after one of the country’s worst earthquakes killed more than 800 people and injured at least 2,800. The appeal came as rescuers struggled to reach remote areas due to rough mountainous terrain and inclement weather. The disaster will further stretch the resources of the war-torn nation’s Taliban government, already grappling with crises ranging from a sharp drop in foreign aid to deportations of hundreds of thousands of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3323976/taliban-asks-world-help-rescuers-search-rubble-wake-afghanistan-earthquake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3323976/taliban-asks-world-help-rescuers-search-rubble-wake-afghanistan-earthquake?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 22:49:02 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Desperate Afghans clawed through rubble in the dead of the night in search of missing loved ones after a strong earthquake killed some 800 people and injured more than 2,500 in eastern Afghanistan, according to figures provided on Monday by the Taliban government. The disaster will further stretch the resources of a nation already grappling with humanitarian crises, from a sharp drop in aid to a huge pushback of its citizens from neighbouring countries. The 6.0 magnitude quake late on Sunday hit... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3323857/many-casualties-feared-after-60-magnitude-quake-eastern-afghanistan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3323857/many-casualties-feared-after-60-magnitude-quake-eastern-afghanistan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 03:19:58 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk An airport in Japan’s Kagawa prefecture is still struggling to lure back tourists, particularly those from Hong Kong, a month after a viral manga prediction about a massive earthquake came and went without incident. At a meeting of the Takamatsu Airport Utilisation Review Council on Monday, officials said the number of passengers flying from Hong Kong to the airport had plunged following rumours of a “megaquake” and had yet to recover, according to local broadcaster KSB. None of the flights... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3323506/japan-airport-still-reeling-loss-tourists-after-mangas-quake-prediction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3323506/japan-airport-still-reeling-loss-tourists-after-mangas-quake-prediction?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Aug 2025 09:54:47 +0000 Hadi Azmi Hadi Azmi A third earthquake in four days rattled Malaysia’s Johor state on Wednesday morning, unsettling assumptions that the country is shielded from seismic activity and prompting calls for greater disaster preparedness. Wednesday’s tremor, a magnitude 3.2 earthquake, struck at 8.59am. Its epicentre was located 18km (11 miles) south of Segamat town at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles), according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia). Tremors were felt across Johor and the southern part of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3323298/third-earthquake-4-days-hits-malaysias-johor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3323298/third-earthquake-4-days-hits-malaysias-johor?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 05:14:28 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Tokyo shrouded in midday darkness, trains derailed, roofs collapsing under volcanic ash: this is the vision Japan’s Cabinet Office laid before the public this week in a chilling simulation of a catastrophic eruption of Mount Fuji. The dramatic computer-generated film, unveiled on Tuesday to mark Volcano Disaster Prevention Day, is the first of its kind issued by the government. Officials say it is designed to sharpen public awareness of the risks posed by the 111 volcanoes that the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3323181/japan-warns-public-catastrophic-mount-fuji-eruption-alarmist-simulation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3323181/japan-warns-public-catastrophic-mount-fuji-eruption-alarmist-simulation?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:08 +0000